, 1887-03-20
A Scene of DesoIatlon.

BISMARCK, OAK, March To- The
gorge at Sibley island is still intact, de-
spite dynamite. The scene here is desc
late and dreary. The river is six miles in
width; the gorge at Sibley island
holding water to the highest mark
that it reached yesterday. All OF
last night a swinging light was seen in
the woods, and several attempts were
made to send a rescuing party thither.
The light was a signal of distress from a
settler, who it is learned this morning, by
looking through a field glass, has been on
the top of his hay stack since the ris ing Of
the waters, swinging a lantern in the hope
calling help. His stack is completely sur
rounded by water, and is two miles from
the shore of the new made stream and
almost afioat. Two rescuing parties were
sent out this morning, and have found
several families on the roofs of houses. A
field glass is being used with good results,
as numerous settlers have been discovered,
some perched on trees and some on float
ing timbers.
To-day a snow storm prevails. The
current over the new made channel is
running over ten miles an hour and drift
ice is shooting along at great speed. A
large bear was seen on a cake of ice this
morning. Mandan is completely mum
dated and water runs through the streets
as if in a mill race.
The situation at the river landing here
is unchanged. Water is still running
through boarding houses and river resi-
dences up to the second story. The worst
is coming. The great rise at Fort Buford
is now over half way here and will reach
this point sometime tonight.
This will make the highest water ever
known in these parts, and unless the gorge
breaks at SibleY island Mandan will be in
danger Of humiliation. Little Heart river
flows into the Missouri just below Man
dan, and should the ice in this stream
break to day, or before the Buford rise
arrives, the entire surplus water will be
backed into Mandan.
The high trestle of the Northern Pacific
is wrecked. Bismarck is the terminus of
the Northern Pacific, and yesterday pas
senger train with its load of people bound
for the Pacific coast laid on the sidetrack
here all night and will not be able to leave
for several days. Renewed efforts to
break the gorge at SibleY island will be
made, but it will be a waste of dynamite.
The gorge consists of six miles of solid ice
wedged into the bottom of the river and
piled to a height of thirty feet. All mail
routes are blocked. The snowstorm has
been transformed into a binding blizzard,
and it is feared that the rescuing parties
will be lost. They are out with small
yawls, and with the binding storm and a
current of ten miles an hour will be una
Bile to guide their crafts or keep their
bearings.
A furious blizzard is raging tonight
and the air is so thick with snow that it is
impossible to see across the street. The
relief parties sent out this morning, about
whose safety the greatest concern was felt,
came back this afternoon, one boat bring
ing Dutch Nike and Thomas Whitley,
taken from a house where they had been
for nearly twenty-four hours, and three
yawls bringing Mccarthy and wife and A.
c. Beal, found on a little mound opposite
Fort Lincoln, with the water within six
inches of them.
In such a binding storm the return of
the boats is little short of miraculous.
The report of the drowning of Superin-
tendent Graham cannot be verified here,
as there is no communication. There is
no ice running in the river, which indi-
Gates that the gorge is still holding above.
The Buford rise OF three feet cant get
here before tomorrow. The train from
the East to day brought more emigrants,
and there are now over 100 here. The
Northern Pacific is returning Fast pas
sengers who desire it, free.